Saturday, November 30
Seattle, WA
5:00 PM
University of Washington
24-6, 15-5Pac-12
2
vs
3
Washington State
23-9, 12-8Pac-12
1
2
3
4
5
F
Washington St.
25
21
25
15
15
3
Washington
23
25
20
25
13
2
Photo by: Red Box Pictures
Husky Comeback Magic Runs Out Against Cougars
November 30, 2019 | Volleyball
SEATTLE – Ninth-ranked Washington was attempting to win from behind for the fifth match in a row, but this time the comeback and fifth-set mojo ran out in a 15-13 fifth set loss to Washington State. The Huskies finished second in the Pac-12 with a 15-5 record and 24-6 overall and will head into the NCAA tournament next week expecting to host in spite of the setback tonight.
Fans flocked to Alaska Airlines Arena tonight to honor Washington's four seniors: Kara Bajema, Shayne McPherson, Avie Niece, and Cailin Onosko on Senior Night. The crowd of 5,779 was the eighth-largest in school history and the biggest since 2014.
"The atmosphere was amazing and worthy of the careers of the athletes that were playing in this match," said Head Coach Keegan Cook. "We're going to get a couple more chances to play in front of this crowd. We appreciate them. In the fifth set they were special, but we've got to do our part and get them going earlier in the match by playing well in the first set."
Bajema finished with 24 more kills in her final regular season match at home, Niece had a team-high seven blocks, and McPherson led all players with 23 digs, while Onosko had five digs and two assists. Bajema went over the 500 season kills mark tonight, just the seventh Husky ever to do so. She now has 517 kills and counting this year, the sixth-most in school history.
But Washington was up and down from set to set tonight and let Washington State (23-9, 12-8 Pac-12) get out in front as the Cougars came back from down 16-22 to grab the first set, 25-23. The Huskies answered with a 25-21 set two win, but WSU retook the lead with a 25-20 third set victory. Washington dominated late in the fourth set and won 25-15, but the Cougars won five out of six points early in the fifth set and then survived a late Husky comeback to get the win, 15-13.
The loss snapped an eight-match win streak for the Dawgs dating back to a five-set loss at home on Nov. 1 to USC. The Huskies had also won their last two home matches in five sets, Wednesday against Cal and Nov. 17 against Utah, but it was not to be tonight.
Cook said the message was "Little things lead to big things and I think we've had a number of matches here in the last few weeks where we've lost the first set. We don't come out defensively like we need to and execute the game plan. We've been able to fight our way out of it but we tried it too many times. I'd rather find that out now than find that out in the tournament, but again a nice lead in the first set that we let go. Some hitting that I didn't think was very courageous, they weren't December swings. It's a painful memory but sometimes you have to have those to go somewhere you haven't been."
Washington lost despite controlling most statistical categories, outhitting Washington State .194 to .131, finishing with more kills (62-54) and digs (76-66) and the teams were even in blocks at 14.0 apiece. Washington State led in aces, 6-4, and the Huskies made five block errors to just one for WSU.
Lauren Sanders had an excellent match with eight kills, three solo blocks and three block assists, with a .500 attack percentage. Junior Samantha Drechsel had 13 klils and Ella May Powell had 49 assists, nine digs, three aces, and had five kills on six attempts to hit .833.
UP NEXT: The Huskies will start fresh next week in the NCAA tournament. The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time on ESPNU.
SET 1: The Cougars scored the first two points until a block from Niece and Powell got the Huskies on the board. Niece stepped in to set up Hoffman who hit one sharp crosscourt for 3-4. Drechsel delivered a couple kills from the right and then Bajema landed her first out of the back row for 6-all. Hoffman had a dig that led to a Bajema transition kill for UW's first lead at 8-7. Another sharp angle swing from Bajema was followed by a WSU block error and then Bajema tooled the block for a fourth-straight point and a 12-9 lead, forcing a Cougar timeout. Drechsel found the block from the left for a kill in serve-receive and 14-11. The Cougars had a couple blocks as part of a 3-0 run to tie it at 14, but Niece ended that with a strike from the middle. Drechsel had a rocket from the right and then Lauren Sanders banged a slide kill for 18-16. Bajema tooled the block and then she and Sanders blocked down a WSU tip attempt for 20-16 and the Cougars took time. Out of the break, Powell found Sanders for a kill up the right sideline and then WSU netted for 22-16 Dawgs before Hoffman served long to end the 5-0 run. Then the Cougars put pressure on UW with some tough serves that the Huskies failed to get up to the net and UW made three straight errors before taking timeout at 22-20. The break didn't slow down WSU, as the Huskies overpassed for an easy Cougar kill, then WSU blocked the Huskies and finished a transition swing for 22-23 and UW took timeout again. The Cougars had an easy dig and a first swing kill again for 22-24 and set point. Powell saved one by going over on two but the Cougars had a perfect pass on the next point and put it away to grab the set, 25-23.
Washington dropped the set despite outhitting the Cougars, .136 to .075 in the set, as the serving line was the difference. WSU had two aces, the Huskies had none, while the Huskies missed three serves and WSU just one.
SET 2: Powell won a joust at the net and then dumped for a kill and a 4-2 lead to start the second. Powell and Niece teamed for a stuff for 6-5. A Cougar error was followed by a Drechsel transition kill from the right for 8-5 Dawgs. Hoffman drove one up the line in serve-receive for 10-7 as the teams traded off. A McPherson serve was overpassed and Sanders stuffed it down for 11-7. But the Cougars scored five of the next six points to tie it back up at 12-12. Twice, Sanders broke tie scores with kills on the slide as it was 15-14 Huskies at the media timeout. Bajema and Niece teamed for a stuff out of the break for 16-14. Another rejection by Niece stretched it to 18-15 and the Cougars called time. McPherson had a dig and Bajema threw a change-up to open space for 19-15. Niece then dropped a tip over and down for 20-15 and it prompted the last WSU timeout. Again the Huskies serve-receive suddenly went south, getting aced twice in a row to let the Cougars right back in it at 20-18 and UW took time. Out of the break, McPherson had a solid pass and Bajema put one down from the right for 21-18. McPherson had a pancake dig to keep a rally alive that ended in a WSU double for 22-19. Bajema lasered one on the pipe set from Powell, and then Drechsel dropped an ace to the back line for set point at 24-20. The Cougars saved the first but Sanders had a solo block on the second chance to end it, 25-21.
The Huskies hit .400 in the set and held the Cougars to just .167. Bajema had six kills on eight swings to hit .625 and McPherson had seven digs in the frame.
SET 3: A Drechsel kill and a block by Sanders made it 2-1 in the third. Sanders terminated in serve-receive for 4-4. Powell won a joust at the net for a 6-5 lead, but the Cougars then won five of the next six points to take the lead, 7-10, and force a Husky timeout. WSU got one more before Bajema tooled the block on the right for 8-11. The Dawgs made two more hitting errors to go down five at 9-14. Bajema got one back off the block from the back row for 11-14 but WSU countered with two straight for 11-16 and the Huskies called their final timeout. Powell put one away on two for 13-17 but the Huskies hit long in transition on the next rally. Cailin Onosko dug a blast and eventually WSU netted for 15-18. But a Husky block error and a Cougar block pushed it right back to five at 15-20. Down 17-23, the Huskies made a late run with two Drechsel kills cutting it to 20-23 and forcing a WSU timeout. The Cougars had a paintbrush swing fall for a point to make it 20-24 and the Huskies made their 10th error of the set on the next point to end it, 20-25.
SET 4: The Cougars took an early 2-4 lead in the fourth set. Sanders got touches on three straight WSU swings before capping a long rally with a stuff for 4-4. Bajema rolled a kill up the left sideline and then teamed with Niece for a block for 7-7. The teams traded sideouts with Bajema landing one crosscourt, and then Sanders got up for another rejection for 12-10 Dawgs. Hoffman tooled the block to help UW lead 15-13 at the media timeout. Niece swooped along the net for a rejection out of the break, and then Powell fired an ace to make it 18-14 and the Cougars took timeout. Drechsel finished off the WSU touch to keep it going and then Powell aced the Cougars a second time to make it 20-14. After a second WSU timeout, Powell racked up a third ace for 21-14. Bajema and Drechsel added kills as the Huskies would roll to the finish, Hoffman ending it with a kill for 25-15. The Huskies scored nine of the final 10 points of the set.
The Dawgs hit .296 in the fourth set and held WSU in the negatives at -.027. Powell's three aces broke it open and Bajema and Hoffman each had four kills.
SET 5: The Cougars played some strong defense to win three of the first four points in the fifth. Bajema got UW's first kill for 2-3. A Niece and Drechsel block assist tied it at 3-all. Powell had a dig and McPherson bumped to Bajema for a kill for 4-3. WSU answered with a 3-0 run with two blocks to make it 4-6 before Bajema tooled the block to snap it. But two more points for WSU made it 5-8 at the media timeout. Bajema had a perfect pass and Drechsel crushed one from the right for a crucial point to make it 6-8. But again the Cougars got the sideout and added on with a point for 6-10 and the Huskies took time. The Cougars missed their next two serves but sided out on each Husky serve to keep the lead. After a third WSU service miss, Powell ended a wild rally by taking a full swing at the net and putting it away in the far corner for 10-12, and the Cougars took time. The Husky block saved a near kill and UW free balled it back in play and the Cougars then hit into the net for 11-12, but WSU got a kill on the next point to keep the lead. Drechsel finished out of the back row for 12-13 and then UW called timeout to set something up. The Cougars had the perfect pass and put one straight to the floor for match point at 12-14. Bajema saved the first in serve-receive from the right. But the Cougars again put their first swing away on the next rally for the win, 15-13.
The Huskies hit just .120 in the fifth set compared to .240 for the Cougars and WSU had three blocks to just one for the Dawgs.
Fans flocked to Alaska Airlines Arena tonight to honor Washington's four seniors: Kara Bajema, Shayne McPherson, Avie Niece, and Cailin Onosko on Senior Night. The crowd of 5,779 was the eighth-largest in school history and the biggest since 2014.
"The atmosphere was amazing and worthy of the careers of the athletes that were playing in this match," said Head Coach Keegan Cook. "We're going to get a couple more chances to play in front of this crowd. We appreciate them. In the fifth set they were special, but we've got to do our part and get them going earlier in the match by playing well in the first set."
Bajema finished with 24 more kills in her final regular season match at home, Niece had a team-high seven blocks, and McPherson led all players with 23 digs, while Onosko had five digs and two assists. Bajema went over the 500 season kills mark tonight, just the seventh Husky ever to do so. She now has 517 kills and counting this year, the sixth-most in school history.
What else can we say?
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) December 1, 2019
An incredible group. Thank you, Seniors!#PointHuskies pic.twitter.com/xLlwZplOaC
But Washington was up and down from set to set tonight and let Washington State (23-9, 12-8 Pac-12) get out in front as the Cougars came back from down 16-22 to grab the first set, 25-23. The Huskies answered with a 25-21 set two win, but WSU retook the lead with a 25-20 third set victory. Washington dominated late in the fourth set and won 25-15, but the Cougars won five out of six points early in the fifth set and then survived a late Husky comeback to get the win, 15-13.
The loss snapped an eight-match win streak for the Dawgs dating back to a five-set loss at home on Nov. 1 to USC. The Huskies had also won their last two home matches in five sets, Wednesday against Cal and Nov. 17 against Utah, but it was not to be tonight.
Cook said the message was "Little things lead to big things and I think we've had a number of matches here in the last few weeks where we've lost the first set. We don't come out defensively like we need to and execute the game plan. We've been able to fight our way out of it but we tried it too many times. I'd rather find that out now than find that out in the tournament, but again a nice lead in the first set that we let go. Some hitting that I didn't think was very courageous, they weren't December swings. It's a painful memory but sometimes you have to have those to go somewhere you haven't been."
Washington lost despite controlling most statistical categories, outhitting Washington State .194 to .131, finishing with more kills (62-54) and digs (76-66) and the teams were even in blocks at 14.0 apiece. Washington State led in aces, 6-4, and the Huskies made five block errors to just one for WSU.
Lauren Sanders had an excellent match with eight kills, three solo blocks and three block assists, with a .500 attack percentage. Junior Samantha Drechsel had 13 klils and Ella May Powell had 49 assists, nine digs, three aces, and had five kills on six attempts to hit .833.
UP NEXT: The Huskies will start fresh next week in the NCAA tournament. The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time on ESPNU.
SET 1: The Cougars scored the first two points until a block from Niece and Powell got the Huskies on the board. Niece stepped in to set up Hoffman who hit one sharp crosscourt for 3-4. Drechsel delivered a couple kills from the right and then Bajema landed her first out of the back row for 6-all. Hoffman had a dig that led to a Bajema transition kill for UW's first lead at 8-7. Another sharp angle swing from Bajema was followed by a WSU block error and then Bajema tooled the block for a fourth-straight point and a 12-9 lead, forcing a Cougar timeout. Drechsel found the block from the left for a kill in serve-receive and 14-11. The Cougars had a couple blocks as part of a 3-0 run to tie it at 14, but Niece ended that with a strike from the middle. Drechsel had a rocket from the right and then Lauren Sanders banged a slide kill for 18-16. Bajema tooled the block and then she and Sanders blocked down a WSU tip attempt for 20-16 and the Cougars took time. Out of the break, Powell found Sanders for a kill up the right sideline and then WSU netted for 22-16 Dawgs before Hoffman served long to end the 5-0 run. Then the Cougars put pressure on UW with some tough serves that the Huskies failed to get up to the net and UW made three straight errors before taking timeout at 22-20. The break didn't slow down WSU, as the Huskies overpassed for an easy Cougar kill, then WSU blocked the Huskies and finished a transition swing for 22-23 and UW took timeout again. The Cougars had an easy dig and a first swing kill again for 22-24 and set point. Powell saved one by going over on two but the Cougars had a perfect pass on the next point and put it away to grab the set, 25-23.
Washington dropped the set despite outhitting the Cougars, .136 to .075 in the set, as the serving line was the difference. WSU had two aces, the Huskies had none, while the Huskies missed three serves and WSU just one.
SET 2: Powell won a joust at the net and then dumped for a kill and a 4-2 lead to start the second. Powell and Niece teamed for a stuff for 6-5. A Cougar error was followed by a Drechsel transition kill from the right for 8-5 Dawgs. Hoffman drove one up the line in serve-receive for 10-7 as the teams traded off. A McPherson serve was overpassed and Sanders stuffed it down for 11-7. But the Cougars scored five of the next six points to tie it back up at 12-12. Twice, Sanders broke tie scores with kills on the slide as it was 15-14 Huskies at the media timeout. Bajema and Niece teamed for a stuff out of the break for 16-14. Another rejection by Niece stretched it to 18-15 and the Cougars called time. McPherson had a dig and Bajema threw a change-up to open space for 19-15. Niece then dropped a tip over and down for 20-15 and it prompted the last WSU timeout. Again the Huskies serve-receive suddenly went south, getting aced twice in a row to let the Cougars right back in it at 20-18 and UW took time. Out of the break, McPherson had a solid pass and Bajema put one down from the right for 21-18. McPherson had a pancake dig to keep a rally alive that ended in a WSU double for 22-19. Bajema lasered one on the pipe set from Powell, and then Drechsel dropped an ace to the back line for set point at 24-20. The Cougars saved the first but Sanders had a solo block on the second chance to end it, 25-21.
The Huskies hit .400 in the set and held the Cougars to just .167. Bajema had six kills on eight swings to hit .625 and McPherson had seven digs in the frame.
SET 3: A Drechsel kill and a block by Sanders made it 2-1 in the third. Sanders terminated in serve-receive for 4-4. Powell won a joust at the net for a 6-5 lead, but the Cougars then won five of the next six points to take the lead, 7-10, and force a Husky timeout. WSU got one more before Bajema tooled the block on the right for 8-11. The Dawgs made two more hitting errors to go down five at 9-14. Bajema got one back off the block from the back row for 11-14 but WSU countered with two straight for 11-16 and the Huskies called their final timeout. Powell put one away on two for 13-17 but the Huskies hit long in transition on the next rally. Cailin Onosko dug a blast and eventually WSU netted for 15-18. But a Husky block error and a Cougar block pushed it right back to five at 15-20. Down 17-23, the Huskies made a late run with two Drechsel kills cutting it to 20-23 and forcing a WSU timeout. The Cougars had a paintbrush swing fall for a point to make it 20-24 and the Huskies made their 10th error of the set on the next point to end it, 20-25.
SET 4: The Cougars took an early 2-4 lead in the fourth set. Sanders got touches on three straight WSU swings before capping a long rally with a stuff for 4-4. Bajema rolled a kill up the left sideline and then teamed with Niece for a block for 7-7. The teams traded sideouts with Bajema landing one crosscourt, and then Sanders got up for another rejection for 12-10 Dawgs. Hoffman tooled the block to help UW lead 15-13 at the media timeout. Niece swooped along the net for a rejection out of the break, and then Powell fired an ace to make it 18-14 and the Cougars took timeout. Drechsel finished off the WSU touch to keep it going and then Powell aced the Cougars a second time to make it 20-14. After a second WSU timeout, Powell racked up a third ace for 21-14. Bajema and Drechsel added kills as the Huskies would roll to the finish, Hoffman ending it with a kill for 25-15. The Huskies scored nine of the final 10 points of the set.
The Dawgs hit .296 in the fourth set and held WSU in the negatives at -.027. Powell's three aces broke it open and Bajema and Hoffman each had four kills.
SET 5: The Cougars played some strong defense to win three of the first four points in the fifth. Bajema got UW's first kill for 2-3. A Niece and Drechsel block assist tied it at 3-all. Powell had a dig and McPherson bumped to Bajema for a kill for 4-3. WSU answered with a 3-0 run with two blocks to make it 4-6 before Bajema tooled the block to snap it. But two more points for WSU made it 5-8 at the media timeout. Bajema had a perfect pass and Drechsel crushed one from the right for a crucial point to make it 6-8. But again the Cougars got the sideout and added on with a point for 6-10 and the Huskies took time. The Cougars missed their next two serves but sided out on each Husky serve to keep the lead. After a third WSU service miss, Powell ended a wild rally by taking a full swing at the net and putting it away in the far corner for 10-12, and the Cougars took time. The Husky block saved a near kill and UW free balled it back in play and the Cougars then hit into the net for 11-12, but WSU got a kill on the next point to keep the lead. Drechsel finished out of the back row for 12-13 and then UW called timeout to set something up. The Cougars had the perfect pass and put one straight to the floor for match point at 12-14. Bajema saved the first in serve-receive from the right. But the Cougars again put their first swing away on the next rally for the win, 15-13.
The Huskies hit just .120 in the fifth set compared to .240 for the Cougars and WSU had three blocks to just one for the Dawgs.
Team Stats
WSU
WASH
Kills
54
62
Errors
31
30
Attempts
176
165
Hitting %
.131
.194
Points
74.0
80.0
Assists
47
58
Aces
6
4
Blocks
14.0
14.0
Game Leaders
Kills
24
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
L
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
L
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB
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